Slovenian Premier Faces Indictment for Alleged Abuse of Power

(Bloomberg) -- A Slovenian court has received a request from prosecutors to indict Prime Minister Janez Jansa for suspected abuse of power in real estate deals in the early 2000s that could carry a sentence of as long as eight years in prison.

Jansa, a nationalist who served jail time for a 2013 bribery conviction that was later overturned, stands accused of illegally benefiting from a real estate deal that allegedly helped him buy an apartment in the capital Ljubljana worth more than a quarter of a million euros ($300,000).

Jansa is not familiar with the contents of the indictment, a spokesman said by email. He has repeatedly rejected accusations of wrongdoing in his dealings with real estate.

“The court received the indictment,” The Ljubljana district court said in an email in response to Bloomberg questions on Friday. “A formal examination of the indictment is initially required, followed by its serving to indicted. The indictment is therefore not yet final.”

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The case dates back to 2005, during Jansa's first stint as prime minister. According to the Vecer daily newspaper, he is accused of financing the purchase of the apartment by selling land to a buyer who overpaid.

Jansa returned to power earlier this year by poaching parties from former Prime Minister Marjan Sarec's ruling coalition when the latter resigned in a botched attempt at consolidating his popularity by triggering early elections.

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